1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrical connector insulating housing and to an electrical connector comprising such a housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is disclosed in DE-U-8508465.4 an electrical connector insulating housing defining a series of spaced, terminal receiving cavities arranged in a ring about an axis of the housing, the housing receiving a terminal retainer for angular displacement about said axis between a first angular position to allow electrical terminals to be inserted into the cavities and a second angular position to overlie abutments on the terminals when they have been inserted in the cavities to lock the terminals therein.
The use of such a terminal retainer to lock the terminals in their cavities in an electrical connector housing has the advantage that reliance is not placed upon latching tongues on the terminals themselves to retain the terminals in their cavities. Such latching tongues tend to be insufficiently robust to prevent the terminals from backing out from their cavities under the action of vibration, especially where the housing is sited in a motor vehicle, for example, or if undue tension is applied to leads connected to the terminals. Also, the latching tongues are susceptible to damage when the terminals are being handled prior to their insertion into the cavities.
In the housing of DE-U-8508465.4, the terminal retainer is received in a hood projecting from the housing and is in the form of a circular cross section block which presents a terminal receiving face of the housing. Since the terminal retainer must be angularly displaceable in the hood and cannot therefore be sealed thereto effectively, it is impracticable to seal the connector against the ingress of moisture by means of sealing grommets in the cavities.